and 21st. see these two great actors. it is fantastic opportunity. >> thank you. >> joy: thank you, honey. thanks to all of my jeff i'm gen jennifer grandholm, who says they can't get along. mitt romney flatters the president. like the poor dog who doesn't realize he is wearing a shock color. mitt romney again sticks his nose into foreign policy. no humiliating statements this time embarrassing gaffes no new ideas, no boldness no inspiration, no excitement and definitely nothing like this. >> infawnty cams in to score,

and the tigers are going in two games to none! ♪ >> jennifer: okay. forgive me but it is completely appropriate that we start tonight with a tip of my hat and cup to my detroit tigers. for the moment anyway providing a distraction from really more unpleasant matters. it pains me to say this but mitt romney's debate performance was really one of record books. because according to the gallup poll he beat president obama by more than 50 points. that's the biggest spread in any presidential debate ever. now romney is going to go head to head with the president on domestic issues and foreign

policy. romney laid out his clearest foreign policy plan to date. he opened with an attack on the president's handling on libya. >> romney: with violent extremists on the march, it is career that the risk of conflict in the region is higher now than when the president took office. i know the president hoped for a safer freer and more prosperous middle east allied with us i share this hope but hope is not a strategy. >> jennifer: and neither is rhetoric. and romney was criticized for commenting on libya. that came after his gaffe-filled overseas tour in july.

he was virtually booed out of england, but perhaps the most surprising thing about today's speech was that when you strip away all of the chest something, romney's plans look an awful like what the president is already pursuing. >> romney: in afghanistan i'll pursue a real and successful 2014 transition. >> jennifer: as if the president's nato-backed plan is not backed. and then of course there's israel. today for the first time, rom

advocated a two-station solution. >> romney: i'll recommit america to the goal of a successful palestinian state living side by side with the nation of israel. >> jennifer: the president has been pursuing that solution. and romney was caught on tape in may saying he didn't think that problem has a solution. >> jennifer: somehow hopefully something will happen to fix this. today the obama campaign wasn't

going to let voters forget those comment of comments. jim sake came out firing, saying . . . >> jennifer: for more on mitt romney's policy in the middle east we turn to michael. welcome inside the war room, thanks for joining us. >> thank you, governor. and congratulations on your courage of showing the tiger's clip while sitting in the bay area. >> jennifer: thank you. i got to go with my tigers. >> it's only fair. >> jennifer: romney had a long of strong language on that

speech. you have to lead. do you think he provided a lot of differences between what he would do and what the president is doing? in fact what would be the biggest difference that he delivered today? >> i think you are generally right to suggest that there are not huge differences. romney maybe deserves a little bit of criticism for suggesting that there is more difference than there really is. we have some consensus on a number of the big issues. but i would point to syria as one difference. perhaps not directly from american as you were place but nonetheless he seems to want a tip in that direction, and we already have aircraft carriers

in the persian region which is true, but i think romney suggested a more muscular approach. which i would disagree with myself. i would prefer obama's slightly more patient approach. >> jennifer: so let's parse syria a little bit. he said he would work with our allies. he didn't say we would directly supply arms. he said we would work with our allies to make sure that the rebels get the help they need. are we clear who we would be arming and what would happen if the rebels were successful? >> no, there are two reasons which i think we're getting at for why we haven't wanted to give arms so far. one is exactly your point that some could wind up in extremist hands, and the other is it could

be disruptive to our relation relationship with russia whereas if we help them get the weapons from others we can keep a certain degree of distance. and maybe that could help us if we are a broker in a peace deal down the road. i tend to lean towards romney's position on this. i think we need to do a little bit more, but i'm relieved that neither wants to send a lot of weapons to the insurgents at this point. i they would be a mistake. >> jennifer: romney was critical of the president's foreign policy for mission creep, but he is making a distinction here is that your correct? >> yes. and also on libya.

>> jennifer: we are not helping rebels to get arms now; is right? >> i think we are helping. but keeping the weapons short of let's say advanced aircraft. >> jennifer: but then there really isn't much of a difference between what he is proposing and what the president is doing. it's just that what the superintendent doing is more subtle than overt. and i'm wondering which one of those is best for america. >> i would say it's not worth basing your vote on the distinction between them because there isn't much. as i think more though the defense spending difference is actually important. here i take the president's side. governor romney has suggested

the president's defense cuts would be excessive, but i think they have been fairly thoughtfully presented so >> jennifer: well, there is an -- there's -- i want to ask you about iran too in addition. would mitt romney for example be more likely to allow israel to strike first, iran if they are not satisfied with the -- you know the red line? >> that's -- that's the sort of body language and also the language that governor romney used this summer where he did suggest that israel has the ability to make the decision itself. i by the obama administration has been more his important to give israel any such green light. i think both have said an

nuclear weapon is unacceptable but where you may see a little bit more difference is romney may be inclined earlier to bless a israel decision to use force or participate in it in himself. i think it's an important nuance. >> jennifer: very quickly what further sanctions could help to bring iran to the negotiating table? i think the sanctions were already pretty tough. >> i think they are. i think it's a punishment strategy more than a persuasion strategy. you know at some point they agree to a compromise position but basically we're hurting them a lot already. if their oil exports are down by half, the currency has declined by half anyway but the regime may not care, and that's the

real dilemma. >> jennifer: sure. i really appreciate you coming inside "the war room" to explain the unrest. all right. political junksies coming up we'll tell you why the president will be dancing a jig if the only headache he has to deal with on january 1st is a hang over headache, and polls that pack a punch. is it any wonder we call it the campaign front. and later it is one thing to talk about cuts in the health care abstract it's quite another to put a human face on the consequences. we'll be right back. unrivaled analysis and commentary. >> was this the game changer? is this going to change the

dynamic? (vo) the only network with real-time reaction straight from the campaigns and from viewers like you. >> so keep on tweeting and maybe you'll have your voice be part of this democracy and see your tweets up on our screen. >>now that's politically direct.

rich, chewy caramel rolled up in smooth milk chocolate. don't forget about that payroll meeting. rolo.get your smooth on. also in minis. >> jennifer: you are back inside "the war room." i'm jennifer grandholm. so we have been count downing the number of days until the november 6th election 28 as of tomorrow. but there is another date looming, and that is january 1st. if congress and the president fail to work out a budget deal in the lame duck session after the election automatic tax increases and mandatory severe budget cuts know as sequestration go into effect

and if that happens many economists are predicting that we could head into another recession. for advice on how the president and congress can avoid going over the fiscal cliff and hopefully can all just get along, for that we turn to washington and norm ornstein. norm is a resident scholar and coauthor of "it's even worse than it looks." welcome back inside "the war room," norm. >> it's always great to be with you, jennifer. go tigers. >> i love having you on. it's so great. so without scaring people tell us what happens come january 1st if no budget deal is reached. >> we get a perfect storm. people often think about the sequesters which is cuts in

spending that congress basically hatch together to -- in the aftermath of the debt-limit crisis -- >> jennifer: to prevent this very thing from happening. >> yes, but as we approach the vice presidential debate paul ryan viewed it as a great triumph. but the fiscal cliff is more than that, it is the expiration of all of the bush tax cuts from 2001 and 2003. and thank colludes the r&d credit, and the expiration of the payroll tax cut which has cut money in the pockets of most working americans, and also the dot fix, which means that we will get a dramatic cut in doctor's pay and havoc in medicare, and potentially, we'll end up with another debt limit

being reached, and potentially another crisis there. so a hang over you are right, would be the least of it for a president. if all of those things expire in a weak economy you are talk about deep budget cuts and tax increases at a pretty difficult time. >> jennifer: you are a great watcher of congress and you know human behavior and when they approach go over a cliff, it is not going to stay there. but i want to talk about what john boehner said . . . so do you think that baner is bluffing? >> you talk about human behavior, and that includes

individual not always strong humans like john boehner. we have a couple of possibilities here let's face it. one we end up with something like the status quo. then they are going to have to deal with obama for the next four years, and the numbers don't make a huge difference. there is more of an incent dividend to cut a deal or at least say we're going to put it all often for a couple of months. but if romney wins they are going to say why should becut a deal with a lame duck president? let's wait until january. so the likelihood of a deal depends very much on the outcome of the election.

>> jennifer: totally. but how can you get a deal, whether you are mitt romney or barack obama -- how can you get a deal with people who have signed the grover norquist pledge to never raise taxes? >> and how many have signed it. [ overlapping speakers ] >> yes, exactly. so the answer is -- you already had a number of senate republicans who indicated that they are not going to be bound by the pledge. and the senate -- you have a real willingness to find come kind of deal. but in the house here is the blunt reality, unless the majority of republicans in the house step away from that pledge, and unless john boehner is willing to cut a deal because it will have to involve revenues that will mean half the

republicans and more than half of the democrats, we don't have a deal. >> jennifer: yeah, but the status quo is not going to be acceptable. >> yeah. >> jennifer: if you are advising the president on how do -- you know how they are saying he hasn't massaged congress enough. tell me what you would tell him about how to cobble those votes together in the house. >> first of all accepting that advice whether it is coming from bob woodward or a columnist doesn't get him anywhere. you are not going to convince people who signed the norquist pledge were wrong all along. >> jennifer: that's what i'm saying. >> and then you are not going to

conveyance mitch mcconnell who said this the goal is to make you a one-term president by making him feel good. so you have to make an announcement that if they are not willing to step up to the plate, the next thing you are going to propose is the biggest tax cuts to everybody but the wealthiest people. >> jennifer: the cliff is going to be the answer. norm i have to go unfortunately, because this conversation is so important and i want to have you up because we need to do some therapy on washington, d.c. thank you so much for joining us. up next, a new set of post debate polls show two things.

yes, the president lost the first debate big time, and yes, it is now looking good in the polls. and later if you have a child with autism or you want to be better informed please do not change the channel. can't stop his leg, gilbert gottfried can't stop his mouth and i can't stop laughing long enough to ask a question.

you disgust me. prove it. enough is enough. d-con baits are specially formulated to kill in one feeding. guaranteed. d-con. get out. jennifer speaks truth to power. >>the bottom line is we need an amendment. >>now it's your turn. connect with "the war room" jennifer granholm. >>it's a call to arms. make your voice heard. >> jennifer: as promised we do have new polls. the first one is a blockbuster. the pew research center released

its first post debate poll showing mitt romney with a lead over likely voters nationwide. the poll has romney receiving 49% compared to president obama's 45%. just last week the same survey showed the president up by eight points. in colorado where the debate was held, a university of denver poll shows the president leading 47 to 43%. that's right at the poll's four-point margin of error. in virginia the president is leading 50-47%. that's the narrowist lead seen in a ppp poll so far. and the president now has a 2 percentage point lead. romney has gained 5 percentage

points in wisconsin. and all eyes will be on that state later this week for the vice presidential debate. joining us now are two of my favorite guests, democratic strategist and syndicated columnist karl frisch and michelle bernard the president and ceo of bernard center for women, politics & public policy. welcome back to you both. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> jennifer: michelle how does the president come back from this? >> he just has to have a very, very -- the next two debates the president has to be very very strong, but i think it is very important that we see the barack obama that the whole country fell in love with in 2008 on the campaign trail. people are going to want him

make us feel good about what he has done as president of the united states, what his vision for the future of the country is, and as much as i hate to say it, because i hate negative ads, but we know that they work. and we spoke after the convenings, there is a stark difference in how the democrats view the places of women, african-americans, hispanics from what we have seen from the republican party and i think the president is going to have to hit home on that. we needs everyone who voted for him in 2008 to come out in 2012. >> jennifer: absolutely. the gallup poll showed president obama under mitt romney. how do they come back after a

such a large gap? >> that 72% likely seems large, but those numbers are often dictated by the spin that comes after a debate performance, so it's probably a little bit artificially high for those who saw the debate. that being said i think the president needs to get back into the driver's seat. it has really only been the last several months that we has taken off in a position of strong play. he needs to give the base a reason to be excited. if there's anything to worry about, it's the enthusiasm numbers, and those are the easiest to impact on a moments notice. if like michelle said he's aggressive on the stump in

articulating his vision but also tying it back to how his record has impacted people in this country, and how his plans and romney's plans will do that in the future. >> joy: and michelle there was a battle groub poll that shows nation wise 86% of romney supports are extremely likely to vote. so the question is how does the president energize really his supporters? >> yeah, i think the president -- not only does he have to reenergize the typical democratic -- the people who typically vote -- respond to a democratic message, but he has to reach out to independents as well. and the way he does that is by being very very strong in

explaining everything he has done for the country. we saw bill clinton do it at the convention, and people need to remember just how bad things could have within. how much farther we have come -- if i was the president i would be hammering home that jobs report from last friday. people need to understand and really begin to feel from the president that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. >> jennifer: i totally agree. you guys are going to stay right there, so stick around because i have thoughts on that right after the show. and after the break we'll talk about political adds and when i'm going to get my plain old boring commercials back.

presents coverage of the vice presidential debate. with unrivaled analysis and commentary. >> was this the game changer? is this going to change the dynamic? (vo) the only network with real-time reaction straight from the campaigns and from viewers like you. >> so keep on tweeting and maybe you'll have your voice be part of this democracy and see your tweets up on our screen. >>now that's politically direct. jack you're a little boring. boring. boring. [ jack ] after lauren broke up with me, i went to the citi private pass page and decided to be...not boring. that's how i met marilyn... giada... really good. yes! [ jack ] ...and alicia. ♪ this girl is on fire ♪ [ male announcer ] use any citi card to get the benefits of private pass. more concerts, more events more experiences. [ jack ] hey, who's boring now? [ male announcer ] get more access with the citi card. [ crowd cheering, mouse clicks ]

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the natural energy of peanuts and delicious, soft caramel. to fill you up and keep you moving, whatever your moves. payday. fill up and go! >> obama: i want them to remember that true courage is revealed when the resistance is strongest. >> jennifer: that is president obama today drawing inspiration from latino civil rights leader caesar chavez. the president and national latino leaders dedicated a new

national monument for chavez today. we have a flurry of new tv ads to dissect. we're going to get to at least a couple we hope. first one, let me ask you, michelle, the romney campaign released a new tved a with a liar argument. here is a part of it. >> president obama continues to distort mitt romney's plan. the latest not telling the truth about the tax plan. even the obama campaign admitted it wasn't true. >> jennifer: actually i'm going to ask this one of karl, because the romney campaign isn't telling anybody whether the ad is running. >> i think it's disenginous and

ironic that they would release an ad calls lying, and not tell anybody where it is returning. if you want to give 20% tax cuts to every american that is $5 trillion. what is difficult is to get really detailed on romney's plans when they are not laid out specifically. so what you find from the fact checkers is that they are not being completely accurate but they always put in there the disclaimer, but it's difficult because we don't know what romney has said. the president should continue to hammer it home, and he needed to do a better job by articulating where he came up with the $5 trillion mark. >> jennifer: i agree. he needs to be specific about

what he could do. and michelle, the super pac supporting the president, they have a new ad going after how mitt romney is going to pay for the tax cuts for the wealthy. >> take away his toys and he'll play with a stick. but if you take away early childhood education, slash k-through 12 funding, they won't go far. >> jennifer: that ad is airing in colorado, florida, ohio virginia, wisconsin. michelle do you think that that message is effective with parents? swing states? >> i think it's a very compelling ad. it will hit parents, women, children. it's going to hit white middle class voters who firmly believe and understand that the way to be prepared for a 21st century

work force is through education. if you live in ohio, wisconsin, michigan, if you live in states where manufacturing jobs are disappearing, you know the way to find a job is education, and for that reason alone, it is a very, very compelling ad. >> jennifer: the nra has come out with a new ad. do you think that because of nra is using a bit of fear in its ads do you think it is going to work in 2012? >> no. i have been to more gun shows than probably any democrat in washington, d.c. and prosably most states around this country. >> jennifer: really? >> yeah, it's one of the things i do with my father from a very

early age, and the only thing the nra has at this point is fear. there has been no indication that they will ever touch the guns. so it's obviously fear and designed to get more money out of people like my father. >> jennifer: hopefully your father is a responsible gun owner. karl frisch, michelle bernard, thanks so much for joining us inside "the war room," and up next the personal costs to health care cuts are all too rarely put on display, and autism is no exception. that story is next, and one you'll only find right here in "the war room."

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potentially a 30% cut in medicare over time. now that may not seem like a big deal when it just is -- you know, numbers on a sheet of paper, but if we're talking about family who has an autistic kid and is depending on that medicaid, that is a big problem. >> jennifer: that was president obama explaining how cuts to medicaid could affect families with autistic children. the autism epidemic touches more and more american families. one in 88 children is diagnosed with the disorder by the time they are eight years old. it covers developmental disorders which impair social interaction and communication,

and now the first large wave of children diagnosed with autism are reaching young adulthood, and our country is woefully unprepared. while local system systems are providing services up to age 21. adults rely on medicaid support. but states that are strapped for funding often have massive waiting lists. i programs and services for autism speaks, the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization. thank you so much for joining us inside "the war room." >> thank you for having me. >> jennifer: i'm so pleased you are here to provide a human perspective on what these kids might mean. why before we get to that is why is this wave of autism

happening? >> fortunately, we don't know. the increase in autism over the last 20 years is tenfold and 50% of it can be explained through better diagnosis, and awareness, but the other 50% we don't really know what is behind that increase. >> jennifer: well obviously there is a huge concern on the part of would be parents and existing parents about how a child ends up being autistic. i want to play a public service announcement. let's watch that. >> i have autism. >> i have autism. >> i have autism. >> and i want you to see me as an individual. >> and not a label. >> i want autism to be an avoidable topic for our lawmakers running for office this fall. >> jennifer: so what has been the response? >> we are really trying to get this spread so that more and

more candidates across the spectrum, whether it's for senate, president, house, local campaigns understand that this is a population that is 1% of the united states. and if you take into effect all of the people that are involved in those childrens' or adults lives, it really affects a significant portion of this population. and this is an issue that needs to be addressed in the coming years. and unfortunately many people call it a cliff, where they drop off and then you no longer have those educational entitlements. >> jennifer: the fiscal cliff is in fact going to impact services to -- and research for autism if in fact those cuts go into effect, what will happen? >> we have estimated if sequestration goes through, from

a research standpoint that's at least $19 million that goes away overnight, and unfortunately we spent the last ten years building the budget in terms of what the federal government is putting into research. so that's a big issue. not to mention the services you talked about. if those go away or are overdue that will have a significant impact on this population. >> jennifer: so talk on a personal level. because i know you have a son that has autism. describe for people how old he is and what he is facing. >> my son is tyler, he is 18. and my wife aye have been at this year 16 years old. and he is a wonderful young man. he is very capable. he has a passion for painting, and we blessed to be able to hopefully provide for him, but

we worry constantly -- >> jennifer: could healey on his own? >> no, he would not. and that is the case for a significant portion of this population. >> jennifer: and if you didn't have the means, you would have to rely on medicaid? >> we would. something >> jennifer: would it be a group home? >> there are a variety of things. some people want to live with others, some might want to live on their own. there is no one solution here for -- for this population and we really need to help allow them to be all they can be. >> jennifer: sure appreciate you coming inside "the war room" to lay it out for us. >> thank you. >> jennifer: that's peter bell of autism speaks and after listening to mr. bell it's hard not to recognize the enormous

role that honestly morality plays in the role of government. i'll give you my thoughts on that after the break.